CC Minutes - 09/10/07 Work Session

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Mr. Poling reported that construction of Willakenzie Park continued. He said a citizen was concerned about the safety of homes in the area whose backyards faced the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) property and it was promptly addressed by both EWEB and the Oregon Department of Transportation. He said the EmX Steering Committee had appointment members to the Pioneer Parkway corridor subcommittee and the West Eugene corridor subcommittee; membership represented a balance among neighborhood representatives, the Steering Committee, and local governments. He said a survey of ridership before and after EmX service began showed that the typical decline in ridership during summer months was signifi- cantly less on EmX than across the system or on Route 11. He said two community dialogues on the West Eugene corridor were planned in October and December. Ms. Ortiz also enjoyed the Eugene Celebration and said she had spent some time at both the Human Rights Center and the Police Auditor's Office, which was a very welcoming place. She was continuing to work on railroad yard pollution issues and received a letter from Representative Peter DeFazio stating he had contacted the railroad and federal agencies about solvents in the groundwater and was waiting for a response. She said that the problem of trains idling was also being investigated. City Manager pro tem Angel Jones thanked staff and City department for their efforts during a very busy summer. B. WORK SESSION: McKenzie-Willamette Plan Amendments/Zone Change Update Ms. Jones introduced City Attorney Emily Jerome and Senior Planner Alissa Hansen to discuss the process related to the applications submitted by McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. Ms. Hansen said the purpose of the work session was to review procedural issues and respond to any questions to help prepare the council for the public hearing on October 23, 2007. She said that McKenzie- Willamette submitted concurrent land use applications to the City for a Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) amendment, a Willakenzie Area Plan amendment and policy addition and a rezone of the property. She said the Planning Commission held a public hearing, deliberated, and forwarded a recommendation to the City Council; that recommendation would be provided to the council prior to the October public hearing. She noted that all of The Register-Guard articles, editorials, and letters to the editor on the subject of McKenzie-Willamette published since the submittal dates of the applications would be added to the record, along with copies of McKenzie-Willamette’s newsletters and emails forwarded to her from the council. She asked that councilors and the mayor continue to forward any emails related to McKenzie-Willamette. Ms. Jerome discussed ex parte contacts and acknowledged the difficulties councilors would encounter trying to avoid those contacts. She asked that councilors commit those contacts to a written list, which would be disclosed during the public hearing and help councilors track contacts. She asked that those lists be provided to her or Ms. Hansen no later that October 15 so they could be included in the agenda item summary (AIS). She asked councilors to track any other contacts between that date and the public hearing in order to disclose them at the hearing. She cautioned that it would become more difficult after the hearing as the opportunity for disclosure had passed and procedures would need to be altered to allow the public to rebut. MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 10, 2007 Page 2 Work Session